Absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, panty liners, and other types of catamenial devices are used to absorb menses and other body fluids. Such absorbent articles are primarily disposable and are used during a women's menstrual cycle. In addition, disposable absorbent articles are used between menstrual periods for light incontinence purposes. Since many of these absorbent articles are carried in a woman's purse or pocket prior to use, it is advantageous to individually wrap each article so as to keep it clean. By individually packaging each absorbent article, the manufacturer can be assured that the article will not become contaminated by makeup, perfume, dirt, etc. Because of this, many absorbent articles commercially sold today are individually packaged.
Generally, the wrapper consists of a thin sheet of thermoplastic material, such as polyethylene, which is folded around the absorbent article and is then sealed by the use of heat and/or pressure, by ultrasonics or an adhesive, to form a package. The package is designed to be opened by breaking or tearing the material at or adjacent the seal so as to remove the absorbent article. Normally, the thermoplastic material is designed to tear adjacent to the seal. However, when this occurs, the thermoplastic material acquires a ragged appearance and the tearing operation can be noisy. Most woman desire a package which can be quietly opened to avoid any embarrassing moments. In addition, it has been found that some seals are of a frangible nature such that they will come apart prior to use and therefore allow contamination to enter and contact the absorbent article. This is a detriment in that the consumer expects the absorbent article to be clean in appearance when the package is opened.
Another use for the wrapper is to enclose a soiled sanitary napkin after it has been used by the consumer so that it can be discretely disposed. For this reason, it is advantageous to design a package which can be opened such that a single, large piece of wrapper material remains which can be used to wrap up a soiled sanitary napkin prior to its disposal.
In view of the above, it has been recognized that there is a need for an individually wrapped absorbent article which has an easy open feature and which can be quietly and discreetly opened. It is also advantageous to offer an individually wrapped absorbent article having one or more lines of perforations which enable the wrapper to be cleanly torn apart so that no ragged edges are present.